Air New Zealand lifts ban on staff tattoos due to discrimination concerns

WELLINGTON (Reuters) – Air New Zealand said on Monday it was putting an end to the ban on employees wearing visible tattoos after being criticized for its discriminatory policy towards Maori employees.

Some New Zealanders with a Maori Aboriginal heritage wear tattoos on their faces or arms, which represent their genealogy and are culturally sacred. But uniform rules at the national carrier prevent them from applying for roles such as flight attendant.

Many advocates of culture and human rights said the policy was discriminatory and noted that Air New Zealand relied on the Maori language for its marketing campaigns and used a "fern-like" symbol. koru "in his logo and on the tail of his planes.

Executive Director of Air New Zealand, Christopher Luxon, said the policy was abandoned and that non-offensive tattoos would be allowed.

"In the conversations we've had with our clients and with our own staff at home and abroad over the past five months, it's clear that tattoos are becoming more accepted in Nova Scotia. Zealand, especially as a means of cultural and individual expression, "Luxon said in a statement. statement sent by email.

Tania Te Whenua, head of Te Whenua Law and Consulting who provides cultural guidance to Maori organizations, said that New Zealand companies, especially those that benefit from the use of Maori culture in marketing campaigns international organizations, should respect the cultural rights of their staff.

"It is a failure of organizations to join Maori culture and other cultures only to the extent that it generates a profit (…), which makes it particularly flagrant for Maori," he said. she told Reuters.

Tattooing, known as "Tā Moko", is a deeply sacred expression of cultural identity, Te Whenua added.

"When there are policies that seek to extinguish the visual representation of this practice, it is quite striking," she said.